The title of this article is conjectural. Although it is based on canonical information, the actual name is conjecture and may be supplanted at any time by additional information released from canonical sources. If this occurs, please move this page to the appropriate title.

"Did you actually believe, or are you truly naive enough to think, that children stood a chance against us? I'll make this simple for you, Potter. Give me the prophecy now... or watch your friends die."

Contents

Background

Prophecy

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches...born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies...and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not...and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives...."

When Voldemort returned in 1995 and failed to kill Harry for the second time, because of Priori Incantatem on this occasion, he became determined to hear the full prophecy, believing it to contain the secret of destroying Harry Potter, a record of which was kept in the Department of Mysteries.[1]

Attempts at theft

"We have confirmed that ten-high security prisoners in the early hours of yesterday evening had escaped. And of course the Muggle Prime Minister has been alerted to the danger. There is convincing evidence that the escape was engineered by a man who has experienced to escape from Azkaban, notorious mass murderer Sirius Black, cousin of the escapee, Bellatrix Lestrange."

Because the Ministry did not believe that Voldemort had returned and because he now had many servants to do his bidding, Voldemort did not attempt to retrieve the prophecy he sought himself. The Death Eaters made a few attempts at stealing the prophecy in question.

Lord Voldemort: "Take it for me… lift it down, now… I cannot touch it… but you can. Crucio! Lord Voldemort is waiting."

Sirius Black: "You'll have to kill me."

Lord Voldemort: "Undoubtedly I shall in the end. But you will fetch it for me first, Black… You think you have felt pain thus far? Think again… we have hours ahead of us and nobody to hear you scream…"

Thus, Voldemort tried a different tactic. Utilising his connection to Harry Potter, who had failed in his Occlumency lessons, Voldemort planted a false vision in Harry's head that suggested his godfather was being tortured by Death Eaters in the Department of Mysteries. Voldemort predicted that Harry would race to the Ministry to save him.[2]

Dumbledore’s Army

Hermione Granger: "Voldemort knows you, Harry! He took Ginny down into the Chamber of Secrets to lure you there, it’s the kind of thing he does, he knows you’re the – the sort of person who’d go to Sirius’s aid! What if he’s just trying to get you into the Department of Myst-?"

Harry Potter: "Hermione, it doesn’t matter if he’s done it to get me there or not – they’ve taken McGonagall to St. Mungo's, there isn’t anyone from the Order left at Hogwarts who we can tell, and if we don’t go, Sirius is dead!"

Umbridge attempted to interrogate Harry, demanding that Professor Snape provide her with Veritaserum. He told her he had none left, and although he pretended not to have any idea what Harry was talking about when he shouted that the enemy had "Padfoot," he went to check that Sirius was still at Order headquarters. Once Snape was gone, Umbridge threatened to use the Cruciatus Curse on Harry to force him to talk. This prompted Hermione to lie, making up a story about Dumbledore creating a weapon to use against the Ministry and tricking Umbridge into going into the Forbidden Forest with her and Harry.[3] Umbridge summarily offended the Centaurs who confronted them, and with some assistance from Grawp, Harry and Hermione escaped back to the castle. In the meantime, Ron, Ginny, Luna, and Neville Longbottom had escaped the Inquisitorial Squad.[4]

Battle in the Hall of Prophecy

Harry attempts to buy time by mocking Voldemort in front of his Death Eaters and infuriating Bellatrix, yet Lucius stops her from killing Potter, not through defence, but so that he can protect the prophecy. In their argument, Lucius and Bellatrix break two prophecies, which turn into wraiths and recite the prophecies which forever remain unheard. Harry still refuses to hand over the prophecy, so Lucius begins to tease him that the prophecy holds the answer to his scar, Voldemort's wishes to kill him, and the cause of the war.

Just then, on Harry’s signal, the six D.A. members all used the Reductor Curse to smash the shelves of prophecies, distracting the Death Eaters so that they could flee. As they ran, Nott grabbed Harry’s arm, but was stunned by Hermione and subsequently injured by the collapsing shelves. Harry, Hermione, and Neville fled into the Time Chamber pursued by two Death Eaters and sealed the door behind them, but then realised they have been separated from the other three.[6]

Pursuit

"We'll split into pairs and search, and don't forget, be gentle with Potter until we've got the prophecy, you can kill the others if necessary..."

In the Time Chamber, Harry stunned one of the Death Eaters pursuing him, Neville, and Hermione and tackled the other when he attempted to use the Killing Curse on Hermione. Neville accidentally disarmed both the Death Eater and Harry, but before the Death Eater could retrieve his wand, Hermione stunned him. He was knocked into a bell jar that made his head turn into that of a baby, and then back into an adult, continuously ageing and de-ageing.

The three then ran into an office off the Time Chamber, where they were struck with Impediment Jinxes by Death Eaters eventually identified as Antonin Dolohov and Jugson. Hermione silenced Dolohov to prevent him from alerting the other Death Eaters as to their location, and Harry placed Jugson in a Full Body-Bind Curse. Dolohov then struck Hermione with an unnamed curse that incapacitated her for the rest of the battle. He broke Neville’s wand and nose and wordlessly threatened Harry, but was distracted by the Death Eater with the baby head, giving Harry the chance to Body-Bind him.

Neville took Hermione’s wand and carried her as he and Harry met up with Ron, Ginny, and Luna in the Brain Room. Ron had been hit by a curse that made him highly confused – possibly the Confundus Charm – and Ginny’s ankle was broken, leaving her pale and in shock. They had managed to get away from the Death Eaters chasing them because Luna used the Reductor Curse on the model of the planet Pluto in the Space Chamber to injure their pursuers. While the students regrouped, the Death Eaters did as well, bringing many of their number out of incapacitating curses.

"Let’s see how long Longbottom lasts before he cracks like his parents…unless Potter wants to give us the prophecy."

The group was then discovered by several Death Eaters, including Bellatrix Lestrange, in the circular entrance room with the many doors. They burst into the Brain Room. Harry, Neville and Luna attempted to seal the doors but Death Eaters still managed to get in. Luna was blasted with Stunning Spells. Ron, in his confused state, summoned a brain from the tank and was injured by it as it attempted to strangle him. Ginny was then Stunned. In a desperate attempt to draw the Death Eaters away from his injured friends, Harry sprinted deep into the Death Chamber, where he was cornered by ten Death Eaters. When Neville arrived to help, Bellatrix briefly used the Cruciatus Curse on him in an attempt to coerce Harry into handing over the prophecy.[6]

The Death Chamber Standoff and the Arrival of the Order of the Phoenix

Tonks fired a Stunning Spell at Lucius Malfoy giving Harry and Neville enough time to escape from Lucius, but Harry was then grabbed from behind by Walden Macnair. Neville jabbed Hermione's wand hard into the eyehole of the Death Eater's mask, making him release Harry with a "howl of pain". Harry stunned him, only to be cornered by Dolohov, who had defeated and injured Moody. Dolohov hit Neville with the Tarantallegra curse and used the same curse he previously used on Hermione on Harry, though most of the harm was blocked by Harry’s Shield Charm. Before he could attack again, Sirius slammed into him and the two began to duel. Harry hit Dolohov with a Full Body-Bind Curse and Sirius ran off to duel Bellatrix, who had just defeated Tonks. In the meantime, Kingsley was duelling Rookwood.

Once again, Harry and Neville tried to escape, but were stopped by Malfoy. Harry passed Neville the prophecy and then used an Impediment Jinx to knock Malfoy back. Before he could attack again, Remus jumped between them and told Harry and Neville to get the other D.A. members and leave. As they tried to do this, the prophecy fell through Neville's pocket and broke.

Bellatrix casts the curse that knocks Sirius to his death.

Bellatrix Lestrange - The Battle of the Department of Mysteries

At this moment, Albus Dumbledore arrived and most of the fighting stopped and the Death Eaters that saw him arrive attempted to flee in fear of duelling him. Dumbledore quickly rounded up numerous Death Eaters, but Bellatrix and Sirius were still duelling. Bellatrix used a curse to knock her cousin into the Veil that separates the world of living from that of the dead, killing him. Remus prevented Harry from jumping after Sirius, telling him that his godfather was dead.[6]

Sirius is killed by Bellatrix Lestrange.

Bellatrix Lestrange: "Come out, come out, little Harry! What did you come after me for, then? I thought you were here to avenge my dear cousin!"

Harry pursued Bellatrix and attempted to use the Cruciatus Curse on her in retaliation for her murder of Sirius. He only caused her a brief moment of pain, however, as he was unable to summon enough malice to make the Unforgivable Curse successful. Bellatrix attempted to curse Harry, but they were interrupted by the arrival of Lord Voldemort.[7]

Voldemort attempted to hit Harry with the Killing Curse, but the blow was prevented; Dumbledore arrived and animated a golden statue to cover Harry and shield him from the curse. He animated the other statues from the Fountain of Magical Brethren to immobilise Bellatrix and warn Ministry officials. Voldemort and Dumbledore duelled, Fawkes taking a Killing Curse for Dumbledore at one point; as a phoenix, the curse caused him to burst into flames and instantly to be reborn.

Throughout the battle Dumbledore dominated marginally despite outlining his peaceful intentions while Voldemort, fuelled by rage, struggled to penetrate Dumbledore's defences while suffering against the latter's own stream of assaults.

Voldemort briefly possessed Harry, hoping that Dumbledore would sacrifice the teenager in an attempt to kill him. However, as Harry dwelt on his grief for his late godfather, the power of his love forced Voldemort to release him. Voldemort took Bellatrix with him as he fled, but not before he was seen by Ministry officials, including Minister for MagicCornelius Fudge.[7]

Harry felt great grief and guilt over the death of his godfather, blaming himself, but Ron and Hermione were there when he needed them to help him come to terms with Sirius's death. It was mentioned that Ron was there to comfort him in his period of mourning more than anyone else. He was also angry at Severus Snape for what he perceived as only belatedly assisting Harry and the Order, and at Dumbledore for not telling him about the prophecy ahead of time. He was also upset to learn that he must be the one to kill Voldemort.